Former Pakistan diplomat and President of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK) Masood Khan has said that India’s influence and economic power is so overpowering that no other country has the audacity to raise its voice against India’s Kashmir policy at various international forums including the United Nations. Furthermore, he said that since India is considered to be the highest between the neighboring countries, it enjoys the right to veto indirectly.

Khan is now in Washington, where he says he is on a mission to create an awareness about the current situation in Kashmir. Speaking on the same issue at the Atlantic Council of America, Khan further said:

India has a strategic partnership with many countries. Since it offers inviting deals to powerful countries in the west, therefore, in reality, ‘gag order’ has been placed in Kashmir.

Elaborating on the issue, Khan said that due to India’s great influence over the people in influential countries, such as Belgium and UK, no one really wishes to talk about the Kashmir issue lest they hamper the business relationships with India. In fact, in this program, which saw the presence of an intimate group of people, Khan also alleged that due to India, the United Nations is not moving ahead on its own proposal.

The United Nations is not moving forward due to politics. The Security Council has not been taking cognizance of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute for the first Cold War and now for many other reasons, which is unfortunate. Because the Security Council has been given a mandate under Chapter 6 and Chapter 7 of the United Nations Charter.

Furthermore, he argued:

UN should be proactive. This is due to real politics. It is also due to two other factors. One factor is that in the past 30-40 years, India and Pakistan have invested a lot of energy and time in bilateral talks. But these bilateral talks are proving to be deceptive for Kashmiris because it does not produce any results.

Khan also alleged that India is also utilizing its own veto to affect the conversation on this issue:

India start talks with its own will and when they do not want, they accuse Pakistan of terrorism.